Arrington, top athlete prospect in ’26, picks A&M
-
Eli Lederman
Texas A&M beat Oregon to the commitment of five-star athlete Brandon Arrington on Thursday, securing the Aggies their highest-ranked pledge under second-year head coach Mike Elko.
Arrington, a 6-foot-1, 180-pound speedster from Spring Valley, California, is the No. 1 athlete prospect and 14th overall recruit in the 2026 ESPN 300. Projected to play cornerback at the next level, Arrington took official visits to Penn State, Washington, Texas A&M, Alabama and Oregon this spring before narrowing his finalists to the Aggies and Ducks and announcing his commitment in a ceremony at California’s Mount Miguel High School Thursday afternoon.
Arrington told ESPN that his connections with Texas A&M assistants Jordan Peterson and Bryant Gross-Armiento and the development path the program presented him were central drivers in his decision to join the Aggies’ 2026 class.
“The relationship goes back to day one, for real,” he said. “They’ve been locked in with me, recruiting me hard from the very start. The environment feels like home. The people care about football there.”
Arrington’s pledge marks the latest and most significant piece of recruiting momentum for a Texas A&M class that began the week ranked No. 7 in ESPN’s team rankings for the 2026 cycle.
The Aggies added along the offensive line Monday with four-star offensive tackle commit Samuel Roseborough (No. 123 overall), then edged Texas for four-star rusher K.J. Edwards (No. 106) on Tuesday in a major in-state recruiting win. In Arrington, Texas A&M has its fourth ESPN 300 pledge in the month of June and a prospect who would rank as the program’s highest-rated signee since five-star defensive tackle David Hicks (No. 8 overall) in the 2023 cycle if Arrington ultimately signs later this year.
Upon Arrington’s commitment, Texas A&M will next turn its attention to No. 1 overall recruit Lamar Brown and elite wide receiver prospect Ethan “Boobie” Feaster (No. 23 overall), both of whom are expected to announce their commitments early next month. Five-star defensive end Richard Wesley (No. 19) and top 50 offensive tackle John Turntine III represent another pair of priority targets as Elko and the Aggies seek to land a second top 10 class in as many cycles.
A nationally competitive sprinter who plays two-ways at Mount Miguel, Arrington now headlines an impressive Texas A&M defensive backs class in 2026. Illinois flip Victor Singleton (No. 55) previously stood as the program’s top-ranked pledge in the cycle, and between Arrington’s move and the early June commitment of four-star Camren Hamiel (No. 86), the Aggies now hold pledges from three of ESPN’s top 15 cornerback prospects in the 2026 class.
Arrington, considered among the fastest prospects in the cycle, projects as a raw talent with a high-developmental ceiling at the next level.
He flirted with California high school track and field records earlier this spring when Arrington posted personal bests in the 100-meter (10.24 seconds) and 200-meter (20.37) events. Texas A&M coaches have compared Arrington’s combination of height, length and speed to the build of former Aggies All-SEC selection Will Lee, and talent evaluators believe Arrington can develop into an elite Power 4 cornerback when he turns his sole attention to football in college.
“I tell everyone about him: If his ceiling is a 10, he’s only at a three right now,” said Mount Miguel head coach Verlaine Betofe. “Once he gets to the next level, he’s going to explode. I think he has first-round talent.”
With Arrington’s pledge, the top end of the 2026 athlete class is expected to settle further in the coming days and weeks. Four-star recruit Joey O’Brien (No. 102 overall) is set to announce his commitment Friday with Clemson, Notre Dame, Oregon and Penn State among his finalists. Texas and USC reach late June as the leading contenders for athlete Jalen Lott, No. 108 in the 2026 ESPN 300, ahead of his scheduled announcement on July 8.
-
Dan Wetzel
Close
Dan Wetzel
ESPN
- Dan Wetzel is a senior writer focused on investigative reporting, news analysis and feature storytelling.
Sherrone Moore was in custody in the Washtenaw (Michigan) County Jail on Wednesday night as a suspect in an alleged assault, just hours after he was fired as Michigan’s football coach for having what the school said was an “inappropriate relationship with a staff member.”
Moore was initially detained by police in Saline, Michigan, on Wednesday and turned over to authorities in Pittsfield Township “for investigation into potential charges.”
Pittsfield police released a statement Wednesday night saying they responded at 4:10 p.m. to the 3000 block of Ann Arbor Saline Road “for the purposes of investigating an alleged assault. … A suspect in this case was taken into custody. This incident does not appear to be random in nature, and there appears to be no ongoing threat to the community.
“The suspect was lodged at the Washtenaw County Jail pending review of charges by the Washtenaw County Prosecutor,” the statement continued. “At this time, the investigation is ongoing. Given the nature of the allegations, the need to maintain the integrity of the investigation, and its current status at this time, we are prohibited from releasing additional details.”
Pittsfield police did not name the suspect in its statement.
Earlier, Saline police stated they “assisted in locating and detaining former University of Michigan football coach Sherrone Moore. Mr. Moore was turned over to the Pittsfield Township Police Department for investigation into potential charges.”
Michigan fired Moore on Wednesday following an investigation into his conduct with a staff member.
“U-M head football coach Sherrone Moore has been terminated, with cause, effective immediately,” the school said in a statement. “Following a University investigation, credible evidence was found that Coach Moore engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a staff member.”
Moore, 39, spent two seasons as Michigan’s coach, after serving as the team’s offensive coordinator.
ATLANTA — The Atlanta Braves signed veteran outfielder Mike Yastrzemski to a two-year deal Wednesday that includes a club option for 2028.
The 35-year-old Yastrzemski hit .233 with 17 home runs and 46 RBIs in 146 games last year between San Francisco and Kansas City.
Yastrzemski, who spent the first six-plus seasons of his career with the Giants before being sent to the Royals in July, will make $9 million in 2026 and $10 million in 2027. Atlanta holds a club option for 2028. Yastrzemski will make $7 million if the Braves pick up the option. He will receive a $4 million buyout if they do not.
The versatile Yastrzemski, the grandson of Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski, can play all three outfield positions and is a career .238 hitter. His best season came in the COVID-19-shortened 2020 campaign, when he batted .297 with 10 homers in 54 games and finished in the top 10 in NL MVP voting.
-
Jorge Castillo
ORLANDO, Fla. — The New York Yankees made their first selection in a Rule 5 draft since 2011 on Wednesday, taking right-hander Cade Winquest from the St. Louis Cardinals.
Winquest was one of 13 players — and 12 right-handed pitchers — chosen in the major league portion of the draft.
The Rockies took RJ Petit, a 6-foot-8 reliever, with the first pick from the Detroit Tigers. Petit, 26, had a 2.44 ERA in 45 relief appearances and two starts between Double A and Triple A last season. The Minnesota Twins chose the only position player, selecting catcher Daniel Susac from the Athletics.
Clubs pay $100,000 to select a player and must keep him on the active major league roster for the entire following season unless he lands on the injured list. Players taken off the roster must be offered back to the former club for $50,000.
The 25-year-old Winquest recorded a 4.58 ERA with a 48% groundball rate in 106 innings across 25 games, including 23 starts, between Single A and Double A last season. He features a fastball that sits in the mid-90s and touches 98 mph plus a curveball, cutter and sweeper. He is expected to compete for a spot in the Yankees’ bullpen next season.
Right-hander Brad Meyers was the last player the Yankees had chosen in a Rule 5 draft. He suffered a right shoulder injury in spring training and was on the injured list for the entire 2012 season before he was offered back to the Washington Nationals. He never appeared in a major league game.
Also picked were right-hander Jedixson Paez (Colorado from Boston), right-hander Griff McGarry (Washington from Philadelphia), catcher Carter Baumler (Pittsburgh from Baltimore), right-hander Ryan Watson (Athletics from San Francisco), right-hander Matthew Pushard (St. Louis from Miami), right-hander Roddery Munoz (Houston from Cincinnati), right-hander Peyton Pallette (Cleveland from Chicago White Sox), right-hander Spencer Miles (Toronto from San Francisco), right-hander Zach McCambley (Philadelphia from Miami) and right-hander Alexander Alberto (White Sox from Tampa Bay).
-
Sports2 years agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports3 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports2 years agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports3 years agoButton battles heat exhaustion in NASCAR debut
-
Sports3 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports4 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment3 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment1 year agoHere are the best electric bikes you can buy at every price level in October 2024